Chaos From Afar
by Aile Anna
Summary: A somewhat dark fic that brightens with time. Takes place after Naraku's defeat. Waffinessa and adventure abounds.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Well, I am at it again!!!  Another Inu Yasha fanfic!!!  For all of you adoring people out there who have been faithfully reading and reviewing my other fics, THANKIES!!!  ^_^  Now, before I get into this new story, I have some explaining to do!  First off, THIS IS NOT A MARYSUE!!!  The character of Aile Anna was created a very long time ago BEFORE my dear friend Yashira talked me into doing fanfic.  So this is not a self-insertion fic!!!  Secondly, If you want to know more about the character of Aile Anna, just e-mail me and I would love to tell you all about her!

This is a **rated R** fic… it will have strong language and all the perversity of Miroku.  There will also be major spoilers…this story takes place AFTER the final battle with Naraku and the Shikon no Tama has been completed!  A new villain, one more powerful than Naraku, has arrived in feudal Japan.  On a quest to stop the enemy she was born to defeat, a Celtic priestess has followed him to Japan, where she must protect as well as depend on the Inu Yasha gang.

Disclaimer:  I do not own any of the Inu Yasha characters...All others are mine --- But if Rumiko-sama would be willing to part with a certain inu hanyou and his brother for a while, I'd be glad to take them!!!

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Prologue: The Immortal Priestess and the Dark Lord 

Loch Iolar, The Dark Forest, Scottish Highlands 15th Century

The night winds blew gently as they swept across the land.  Whispering with soft caresses it swirled about the lone figure standing silently at the hilltop.  As the winds encircled the priestess, mist formed, grew thicker, denser, until two silver figures emerged to stand obediently at her side.  With eyes of piercing blue, the wind wolves watched and waited for their mistress's commands.  

Just as the full moon reached its zenith, the woman flicked her wrist.  In a burst of speed born of their ethereal nature, the two creatures took off, their eyes bearing down on their pray in the distance.  As they closed in for the kill, their pray stopped.  Looking at the silver spirits, it froze, knowing death was imminent.  Black eyes hazed with shadow met ice blue before a scream rent the air.  Filling the stillness of the night, the horrid cry was not that of human or beast.  As the corpse fell to the dampened earth, a dark mist rose from its gaping mouth then dissipated into nothingness.  

Aile Anna watched from her place on the hill.  The shadow beast had escaped, but its victim could now rest in peace.  With a mental approval from her two companions, she slowly approached the fallen body.  As its facial features came into view, a gasp escaped her before she threw herself upon the still form of the boy.  Tears sprang free from her green eyes as sobs wracked her body.

"Duncan…"  She wept, caressing the child's expressionless face.  Her heart sank and shattered.  She cradled the young boy to her breast, pulling him up against her as she rose to her feet.  With a scream that reached far across the lands she declared to the celestial beings that watched, "Damn you, Dorraghey!  I will kill you for this!"

As she lumbered across the moors, the limp, lifeless child in her arms, another figure approached.  Tall and lean, the man rushed to her side, his breath gasping as he struggled for air.  He had run a long way to reach his mistress.  "Mi' lady!  It's gone!  The _drákwn anim, _it's gone!"

Aile Anna cursed herself for being so stupid.  The missing child, the chaos in the village, it had been a ruse so the Dark Lord could get his hands on the gem.  She suddenly felt sick, nausea crept from her stomach to her throat and she swallowed hard to rid herself of the foul bile.  She had fallen for the demon's trick, and now the jewel was gone.  She passed the dead boy lovingly to the man before hiking up her full skirts and rushing toward the stone tower near the edge of the loch.  She would hunt down the bastard, and God help him when she found him, for this time she would kill.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Musashi's Domain, Sengoku Jidai

Kagome sat down by the cooling water's of the stream.  As she watched a pair of birds soar over the surface of the sparkling water, she cradled the glowing pink orb in her palms.  Slipping the chain around her neck, she sighed deeply.  Naraku was dead, the Shikon no Tama was complete, and now she didn't know what to do.  She had once wondered what would happen when their quest to complete the shattered jewel was finished.  Now it was here, and it seemed nothing had really changed.  After Naraku's death, demons had crawled out from all their hiding places, many in search for the jewel.  Even in her own time, Kagome and Inu Yasha had discovered that the lure of the Shikon no Tama was great.  Youkai had suddenly sprung forth from every corner of the modern world to gain its power.  So Inu Yasha still protected her, keeping watch over her until the orb was purified. 

"Oi, Kagome!  What the hell are you doing out here by yourself?  Are you trying to get yourself killed?"  Inu Yasha growled at the young miko in annoyance.

"Hello, Inu Yasha."  She did not look at him, only focused her gaze out across the slow moving water.  

Sniffing the air, the hanyou sat down beside her, his eyes following hers across the stream's surface.  "What's wrong, Kagome?  Why are you so depressed?"  His keen senses picked up on her sad mood immediately.  Curiosity, worry, and something more tugged at his heart.

"I don't know.  Just…thinking about it all I guess."  She replied, side glancing at him.  How much she loved this hanyou who protected her, yet, she still was unsure of their future together.  Kikyou still walked amongst the land of the living, though the dead miko seemed to have changed since she was first brought back to life in a clay and burial ash body.  She had disappeared after the final battle, allowing her soul stealers to carry her away.  

"It's done with.  Stop thinking about it!"  he turned to her, his golden orbs burning into her.  "Naraku is dead, the jewel is complete, and you can still travel from your time to this one.  That's all that matters."

"Is it Inu Yasha?  What about…Kikyou?  What about us?"  Hot tears burned her eyes, and she fought to hold them back.  

Inu Yasha sat in silence.  He loved her, but until the issue with Kikyou was resolved, he could not and would not allow them to be more than friends.  Smelling her tears, Inu Yasha wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side.  "Kagome…I know how you feel, but…we just can't right now.  You know this.  We've talked about this and I thought you understood."  He sighed, trying to fight his own heartache at the situation.

Kagome pulled from his embrace and stood.  "I do understand, but it doesn't mean it hurts any less.  She's been gone for over two months, Inu Yasha.  What if she never comes back?"  Before the hanyou could respond, the young miko ran off, leaving Inu Yasha to stare after her.

Kagome ran to the well, hoping Inu Yasha would not follow.  She reached out with her miko powers, ensuring that he and no others were near.  Finally satisfied that she could safely be alone, the future girl plopped down leaning her back against the side of the Bone-Eater's Well.  Swiping at the tears that refused to go away, she prayed that Kikyou would find rest so Kagome could finally be with the one she loved.  "It's not fair!"  She cried out to the wind.  "Why can't I just be happy!"  Twisting her body, she folded her arms across the lip of the sacred well, lay her head down, and released all the sorrow her heart felt until her sob wracked body finally fell asleep.  A pair of amber gold eyes watched from the canopy of a tree, trying hard not to shed his own tears as he watched protectively over the now slumbering miko.

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He watched the woman with the child through black eyes that glistened like wet onyx.  After years of searching, he had finally found his mate and stolen child.  With interested eyes, he watched the young girl sit at the edge of the pond as her mother did the week's laundry.  Long ebony hair flew about the tiny girl's waist, framing her alabaster face.  She reminded him of a doll of fine china, so smooth and sculpted were her features.  Suddenly the child looked up, as if sensing her sire's presence.  Eyes like his stared toward him, and the Dark Lord wondered if she could sense him through her mother's barrier.

The woman glanced up at her daughter, wondering what had gained the child's attention.  Following her ebon eyes, fear filled her dark brown eyes_.  'No!'_ She screamed inwardly as the familiar feeling of her mate shuddered through her.  Quickly grabbing her daughter, the woman fled to her small hut.  "Stay here, Haku-su!"  She commanded as she rushed back outside, grabbing a clay pot from a shelf as she left.  The oni began chanting fervently as she threw the contents of the pot along the sides of her self-made barrier.  The magic powder crackled and she relaxed as she felt the shield strengthen.  But she knew it would not be enough.  The barrier would only hold for as long as she had the magic dust.  When the ancient spell powder was gone, so was her protection from the creature she had once loved.

"What is it, Mother?" Haku-su asked as her mother returned, her small voice hollow and empty of any emotion.

"Nothing, just me being silly."  She did not want to alert the girl to the threat that lurked outside.  She knew what her mate had planned for her daughter, and it frightened her.  Looking at the silent child, she wondered not for the first time how much of her father's black heart she had inherited. 

A loud crackling sound filled the air, and the woman jumped.  Grabbing her daughter, she huddled in the corner, fear gripping her heart.  In the darkness of the hut, she could feel his cold anger as he approached.  A lone tear slid down her cheek as she realized her own magic, even with the enforcement of the spell powder, was not enough to protect them from him.  When the dark visage of a man broke through the doorway, she pressed the child behind her, a feeble attempt she knew, but it was all she could do.

"Hello, Hinotama.  It's been a long while, my love."  His eyes bore into her as she stood shakily.  

"Dorraghey!  How did you find me?"  Hinotama demanded as she pressed Haku-su further into the corner behind her.

Laughing maliciously, "It was not difficult.  Where else would you go but your precious homeland?"  The Dark Lord slowly approached his mate, arms rested at his sides in a non-threatening manner.

"Why did you come here?  Why now?"  Hinotama demanded, cringing inwardly as he approached.

"I let you play mother for a while, now it is time to give up what is mine.  Give me the child!"  He hissed through clenched teeth.

"NO!  She will not become one of your minions!  I won't allow you to use her like that, Dorraghey!  She is but a child, and needs love and understanding, not death and destruction.  Onegai, my love, don't take her from me."  She bowed her head in supplication, praying he would leave them be.

"Come child, come to your father."  He ordered, his cold voice causing shivers down Hinotama's spine.  As the girl crept out from behind her mother, Hinotama cried out, grabbing Haku-su's arm.  It was the last thing she did.  With swift movement, Dorraghey slashed out at her with elongated claws, the woman he once called mate lay in a seeping pool of her own blood, her heart wrenched from her chest.

The child, Haku-su, watched her mother's death with wide eyes.  She drank in the sight of blood never before seen.  Feeling the evil aura of her sire, she felt empowered, strengthened, and alive.  A wicked smile curved the girl's thin lips as she embraced all these new sensations.  Grabbing her father's hand, she looked up at him, black eyes meeting black eyes.  "Arigato, Otousan."  Were her only words as she stepped over the mother who had loved her to depart with the father who never knew her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome awoke with a start.  She felt as if she were on fire, her body burning from a heat she could not bare.  Gasping for breath, she tried to rise but couldn't.

"Kagome!"  Inu Yasha leaped from the tree and raced over to the young miko.  "What's wrong, Kagome?"  He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him.

"Youki…strong youki.  Like, a power…just waking up."  She gasped out before slipping into unconsciousness. 

Inu Yasha scooped her up bridal style and rushed toward the village.  Kaede-baaba would help his Kagome.  The old priestess would know what to do.  Before he could reach his destination, the form of the houshi appeared in his path.  Miroku's face was a show of concern as he watched the inu hanyou carry the still form of the miko.  Changing his direction, the monk quickly followed suit, worried about his friend.

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A/N:  Well, there it is!!!  The prologue!  I hope you liked it.  This is an edited version of this story cleaned up for FF.net, but the unedited version containing later lemon chapters will be available at my website listed on my bio page.

Now for some FYI on everyone and everything…

**Loch Iolar** (pronounced U-lar) is Gaelic for Eagle Lake and is the fictional place Aile Anna is from.  She is Celtic/Gaelic, is a very powerful sorceress and priestess.  She takes her duties very seriously.  If you want to know more on Aile Anna, then e-mail me and I will be glad to fill you in!

**The Dark Lord Dorraghey**- also a Gaelic/Celtic figure.  Dorraghey is Celtic for Dark.  He is a VERY evil demon and Aile Anna's mortal enemy.

**drákwn anim** – literally means dragon's soul.  There is a story behind this that will be revealed later in the fic, but it is also the basis for Aile Anna's tale.  

**Haku-su**- I took this name from Japanese mythology.  Haku-su was a young woman who died from love of her betrothed.  She became a ghost and possessed her sister.  The sister married Haku-su's lover, thus finally enabling her to be with her true love.

**Hinotama**- literally means falling star.

I am currently working with a friend of mine to put Aile Anna's story (as of yet still untitled) into a manga.  I am hoping to have a web page for it soon, so anyone who is interested in original manga can see some of it.  

Please **READ and REVIEW**!!!    It really encourages the next chapters!


	2. Living Shadows

A/N: For all of you adoring people out there who have been faithfully reading and reviewing my other fics and this one, THANKIES!!!  ^_^   

Special thanks to Yashira, for editing and rewriting some of this and putting up with my laziness!!!  You truly are the best!  

This is a **rated R fic…it will have strong language, graphic violence, and all the perversity of Miroku.**

Disclaimer:  I do not own any of the Inu Yasha characters...All others are mine --- But if Rumiko-sama would be willing to part with a certain inu hanyou and his delicious brother for a while, I'd be glad to take them!!!

**Recap**: Kagome awoke with a start.  She felt as if she were on fire, her body burning from a heat she could not bare.  Gasping for breath, she tried to rise but couldn't.

"Kagome!"  Inu Yasha leaped from the tree and raced over to the young miko.  "What's wrong, Kagome?"  He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him.

"Youki…strong youki.  Like, a power…just waking up."  She gasped out before slipping into unconsciousness. 

Inu Yasha scooped her up bridal style and rushed toward the village.  Kaede Baaba would help his Kagome.  The old priestess would know what to do.  Before he could reach his destination, the form of the houshi appeared in his path.  Miroku's face was a mask of worry as he watched the inu hanyou carry the still form of the miko.  Changing his direction, the monk quickly followed suit, worried about his friend.

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Chapter 1: Living Shadows 

They came from the shadows, swarming like black vaporous mists.  As the creatures of nothingness swam through the soft breeze, they found their destination.  A small village nestled in the far reaches in the Southern lands of ancient Japan.  The creatures swept into the quiet village, hunger gnawing deep within them.  As the sleeping occupants lay unaware, the Shadow Beasts hovered over them, allowing their filmy bodies to be inhaled and absorbed. 

An infant cried as it awoke for its night feeding.  Instead of being comforted by his mother, the young woman turned hazy black eyes to it, her face expressionless.  Reaching out a slender hand, the child suddenly stilled, its body nothing more than a lifeless heap swaddled in blankets.  The woman's eyes glazed, the creature within the slim body energized from its first meal from this strange new land.

The air turned frigid as icy tendrils of wind surrounded the village.  In a massive gust, the possessed bodies were gone, leaving behind only the empty shells of those they had consumed.  Blank eyes still closed in sleep, they had never even seen their attackers.  They had never known the moment they had died nor had never felt the moment their souls had been sucked from their bodies as the creatures did their master's bidding.

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The earth shook violently as the kijo slammed down his large fists in an attempt to squash the impudent woman who dared disturb his dinner.  The petite figure dressed in a deep green cloak easily evaded the attack, her emerald eyes glowing with an eerie inner fire as she glared at the large youkai.  Seeing the demon readying for another assault, the woman back flipped, hand springing out of the way as the oversized appendage took another swipe at her.

"I will have you for my dinner, since you let my pray escape, miko, and then pick my teeth clean with your bones!" A hideous laugh filled the air, and she recoiled as the stench of his breath assailed her.  The kijo again swooped a large hand down at her, hoping to take the advantage of her slight distraction given from his odious breath.  This time, he caught her in his meaty grasp.

"Let go of me you cretin!" The woman hissed as she felt the air being crushed from her lungs.

"Aile Anna!" Another figure exclaimed before leaping into the air and raking her long claws over the arm that held the priestess.  The kijo howled in pain as blood seeped from the gashes running from his upper arm to his wrist, but he did not loosen his hold on his new pray.

Aile Anna whispered words into the wind, her lilting voice speaking an ancient spell, and the incantation which left her lips, caused the air to swirl and thicken, casting a luminescent glow that circled about her.  Reaching out with all her strength, Aile Anna touched the rough skin of the ogre and a pale blue light shot forth from her fingers.  Instantly, the beast dropped her as his flesh began to burn.  Before Aile Anna could hit the ground, her companion flew on swift feet to catch her, placing the priestess safely to the ground.

"You bitch!  Trying to purify me?" With a speed he had not shown before, the kijo lunged at the miko again, this time scooping and shoving her into his large, cavernous mouth.  After an audible gulp was heard as he swallowed whole the woman who had dared to stand against him, he laughed again, filling the air with his foul stench, "Now, to reclaim my dinner!"  This said he set his sights on the kitsune hanyou who stood before him, her clawed hands still dripping with his blood.

The fox half demon only laughed as she crossed her arms arrogantly over her chest, her blue eyes sparkling with defiance.  "I don't think so, yarou!"  Jumping back she set a wide space between her and the youkai.

Abruptly, the ogre stopped and clutched his stomach as if in great pain.  "What have you done to me?" He roared as burning agony shot through him.  His large, red eyes narrowed dangerously before squeezing shut as if to push the pain away, but it only intensified throughout his body that much more.  Before he could regain his composure, a bright light burst from his belly, blasting the kijo into many pieces.  Chunks of demon flesh and blackish blood flew into the air before settling onto the now quiet forest floor.

"What the fuck?!" A voice growled from behind her.  The kitsune spun around, taking a defensive stance at the new intruders.  

"Huh?  A hanyou?"  The white haired dog demon said as he looked at the girl before him in surprise.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The group traveled through the forest in the direction of the strange, dark aura the young miko sensed.  Kagome had recovered quickly from the overwhelming power that had drained her strength earlier that day, and now they were searching for clues as to what this dark force was.  Naraku had been destroyed two months prior, his body purified and turned to dust by the enchanted arrow Kikyou had given Inu Yasha for Kagome.  

Inu Yasha suddenly stopped, his nose sniffing into the air.  "Youkai." He growled, an odd tone to his voice.

"What's that smell?" Shippou was also sniffing at the air, his kitsune nose picking up the odd scents of a demon and two others.

"I don't know, but we're gonna find out."  The inu hanyou crouched down, allowing the young miko to climb on his back.  Behind him, the tiny youkai cat, Kirara, transformed, with an eruption of flame, into her giant form.  Shippou jumped onto her head as Sango and Miroku climbed onto her back.

"Touch me once, houshi-sama, and I will break your hand!" The taijiya warned.

"Sango, my love, I am hurt that you would think me so lowly."  Miroku raised his hands in front of him, a mask of innocence gracing his handsome features.

"Let's go already!" The dog demon barked out.  He was already eager for the oncoming fight.

They traveled quickly to a small clearing in the middle of the dense woods where the sounds of battle had originated.  As they entered the clearing, the sight before them made all their jaws drop.  A giant kijo, his arms as thick as the trunk of the God Tree, face a contortion of bulbous nose, cavernous mouth filled with sharp, pointy teeth, and large red eyes, was holding a cloaked woman in his fist.  Before Inu Yasha could release his sword from its sheath, the giant demon popped her into his mouth, gulping loudly when he finally swallowed the human whole.  Smiling wickedly, the demon then turned to the smaller youkai, his rough, raw voice taunting her.

As the kijo let out a hoarse laugh, Inu Yasha, Shippou, and Kirara immediately covered their sensitive noses protectively against the foul stench emanating from the ogre's breath.  Even the three humans of the group buried their noses from the putrid odor as they watched the kijo suddenly stop his ranting and grab at his stomach.  

The odd, smaller youkai  leaped back to a safe distance at the same time.  She seemed to smirk in defiance just as a bright light burst forth from the giant demon's body, ripping his flesh and tossing it into the air.

Shouting suddenly, drenched in demon blood, Inu Yasha cried out with surprise as he leapt from side to side to avoid the falling body parts. "Huh?  A hanyou?" With a look of astonishment he stared at the girl before him.   

"A kitsune hanyou!" The fox child perched on the shoulder of the schoolgirl exclaimed as he sniffed through the blood scent in the air.

Before the other hanyou could respond, the body of the priestess came crashing to the ground with a sickening thud.  "Aile Anna!"  The female kitsune hanyou gasped when she now realized she had nearly forgotten her friend and savior.  Rushing toward the fallen girl, she carefully turned the lifeless miko onto her back, checking over her for injuries.

"Oh my god!  Is she alright?" Kagome cried out in concern.

"She'll be fine!  She's tougher than she looks." The kitsune hanyou snapped, lifting the girl up over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  

"Did she do that?" the taijiya questioned as she pointed to the flesh torn remains of the kijo.

"She's a miko, Sango.  One with an extremely powerful aura." Miroku stated.

"Who are you and what is your intent?" The fox girl demanded, her blue eyes piercing as she glared at the strange group of travelers.

"What are you planning to do with that miko?" Inu Yasha growled, trying to ignore the overpowering stench of blood that covered him and his companions.

"I will not hurt her.  She is my friend.  Now who are you?" Again the fox hanyou demanded.

"I am Miroku, and these are my companions, Kagome, Sango, Shippou, Kirara, and the rude dog demon is Inu Yasha."  

The monk stepped forward, his violet eyes twinkling as he only now noted the beauty of the girl.

"Inu Yasha?  The same hanyou who defeated that yarou, Naraku?" Enlightenment shone brightly in the girl's pale blue eyes.  "Come, you lot can stay at my den for the night." This she offered as she noticed the darkening sky.  Taking another look at the bloodied group, "And there's a hot spring available."

Kagome and Sango smiled with relief, nodding enthusiastically at the girl's offer.  Inu Yasha looked suspiciously at the fox hanyou before nodding once.

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The den, at first, looked to be nothing more than an elongated crack in a mountain wall.  It was a dark, slender opening offering nothing to the travelers of the immensity beyond its narrowed mouth, but slipping in actually proved less difficult than they imagined once they realized the cave's interior was huge. The high vaulted ceiling reached far up into the mountain itself and beyond the darkness, only illuminated by a low burning fire. Beyond the darkness came the sound of dripping water.  It was the drips that echoed off the inner walls deep beyond their seeing abilities which indicated that the cave stretched out further into the mountain than the small creviced entrance indicated.

The female kitsune laid the unconscious woman down, none too gently by the fire, before she turned to the others.  "My name is Yukori, and this," she swept a clawed hand toward the cloaked priestess, "is Aile Anna."

"Ai … ri.. Anna?"  Miroku tried to pronounce the foreign name, his tongue rolling an "R" sound instead of an "L".

"She's gaijin?" Kagome looked over at the figure, curiosity now eating at her.  "Where is she from?" 

Yukori squatted down beside her friend, trying not to inhale too deeply the foul stench clinging to the woman's body.  "From a country called Scotland.  I haven't seen her in three years, when I returned to Japan from her lands." 

"You were in Scotland?" Kagome asked incredulously.  She had not met anyone in her time or the Sengoku Jidai who had been to that far away land.

"Hai.  My family was killed long ago, except my brother and myself.  A trader who traveled to the seas took pity on us.  He loved us like his own pups until he died of disease.  We were in Scotland when it happened.  Being of only eight and  hanyou in a strange land with no way home, we stayed close to the mountains, hiding ourselves from the people and youkai of that country."  She took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing her tale.  

"Then a demon of great power and greater evil came, we fought him, but my brother was badly wounded.  That's when Aile Anna showed up.  The bastard ran, but not before my brother, Yaichiro, died from his injuries.   She took me in and treated me as a sister.  We stayed together for many years, fighting side by side against the great evil." Shifting uncomfortably, Yukori's eyes glazed over, a far away look entering them as the painful memories flooded back to her.

"He was a youkai from the underworld who gained power by devouring others until he broke free and rose to the surface, to the world of the living.  Three years ago, we had our final battle with the monster.  Aile Anna sealed him within his own castle, casting a spell to keep others from ever finding it.  Why she has come here, I do not know.  Especially since she swore several times that she would never step foot on Japanese soil."

"Keh!  She hates Japanese?  Typical gaijin!" Inu Yasha spat. 

"Mou!  Inu Yasha!  You don't know that she hates people from Japan!"

"She doesn't.  Only one, though she never told me who it was or why she despised him so much."  Yukori's blue eyes glowed icy as she stared into the embers of the fire.  She had been stoking it back to life as she spoke, and now the flames licked greedily at the air, feeding on oxygen as they grew in intensity.

The blazing fire shed volumes of light into the once dark cave, allowing the humans and youkai to better see.  Instead of exploring their surroundings, all eyes focused on the gaijin miko.  Aile Anna's slight form was swathed by a rich green, hooded cloak, the dark silk shimmering in the orange glow of the fire.  The cloak was so large on her petite frame, it devoured her, revealing none of her Gaelic features to her observers.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Aile Anna felt like she was on fire.  Her body ached and her skin burned, and the disgusting odor of stomach acid assailed her nose.  Trying to push aside the pain so that she could sit up, she realized she could hear faint voices whispering around her.  Focusing with great effort, she listened, trying to discern where she was and who the voices were.

Yukori's voice was too low for the priestess to make out her words, not that she could with the pounding in her ears.  Other voices, ones she did not recognize also whispered in indiscernible words, their tones to soft and her headache to intense to make sense of the Nihongo.

"So which one of your parents was youkai?" Inu Yasha asked, changing the topic from that of the unconscious miko.

"Inu Yasha!  That was rude!" Kagome scolded him, a dangerous glint in her blue gray eyes.

Yukori laughed, a smile of pure delight plastered on her beautiful face.  "It's okay, Kagome-san.  My mother was a kitsune, my father a human."  

A faint groaning interrupted the female hanyou.  "Yukori?"  Aile Anna tried to open her eyes, but they still burned from the digestive fluids of the kijo.  She mentally made a note to herself to never get eaten again.

"Finally back to the land of the living, _mo caraid_?" Yukori moved closer to her friend, placing a clawed hand on the cloaked figures forehead.  "You're hot, but not from fever.  Gods, you reek!  Get your lazy ass up and go take a bath." 

The others looked at Yukori in astonishment.  This miko friend of hers had just been devoured by a demon, blasted her way out of its stomach, and fell about thirty feet to the ground in the process.  How could she be so crass?

Aile Anna shoved Yukori's hand away,  "Still the lady I see.  Help me up."  The priestess reached out a slender hand, her jewel-laden fingers flashing in the firelight. 

Yukori reached out a hand and pulled the miko to her feet.  As Aile Anna stood, the hood of her cloak fell away, revealing coppery red hair, deep green eyes, and delicate features.  Her pale skin glowed orange as the fire flickered light into the cave Yukori called her den.  A surprised gasp was heard, then silence as all eyes gazed at the beautiful young woman.

As Aile Anna stood, she looked around at the collection of curious faces.  She nearly kicked herself when she saw the three youkai sitting on the other side of the fire.  Her senses were still out of sorts from her battle with the kijo.  But it still unnerved her that she didn't sense their presence.  Thinking it best to bath now and ask questions later, the gaijin priestess went deeper into the cave where she knew the hot spring would be.

"She speaks perfect Nihongo for a gaijin."  Kagome commented after the Gaelic priestess had left.  "Did you teach her?" 

"Aile Anna speaks many tongues.  But, iie, I did not teach our language. She already spoke it when I met her." Yukori had turned her back to the group as she rummaged through a storage chest near her futon.  Finding a kimono of deepest green with gold colored flowers, she abruptly left, heading toward the hot spring.

Except for his gasp at the Gaelic miko's beauty, Miroku had been strangely quiet since they had arrived at Yukori's den.  His hands had not even tried to grope the taijiya once.  "Houshi-sama?"  Sango looked at him, her chocolate eyes questioning him silently.

"That is no ordinary miko.  She is very powerful. Her aura is stronger than any I have ever sensed.  She can not be any older than you, Inu Yasha, yet I saw an age in her eyes that only comes with living many long and difficult years."

"You don't have to tell me she's powerful.  I did see her blast her way out of a youkai's belly.  Even after a bath in the hot springs, I can still smell the blood on me!"  he grumbled in a low growl.  "And I'm 67, bouzu!  Well, 17 not counting the 50 fucking years pinned to that damned tree."  He snorted as an after thought.

"I've never heard of a gaijin miko before." Sango said thoughtfully.

"I have, but not in Japan.  In my time, there aren't many, and they don't hold any true power.  They are called Wicca, a religion from Ireland and Scotland.  They used to be very powerful witches and stuff, but I thought it was only myth."  Seeing Inu Yasha's scowl at those words, Kagome amended quickly, "Then again, I thought youkai were myth too."

"You are correct, I am Wicca." The soft lilting voice of the gaijin miko wafted through the air of the cave.  "And what time era are _you from, miko?"  Her green eyes rested on Kagome, burning with inquisitiveness._

"Uh…eheh…did I say time?  I meant my country."  Kagome tried to cover up her mistake.

"Iie, do not lie.  I can see the truth in your heart.  Please, do not be afraid.  I mean no harm.  I am only curious as to what time you are from." Aile Anna stood in the firelight.  Her auburn tresses, damp from her quick bath, shimmered with its own liquid fire.  Though the kimono Yukori had given her hung loosely on her small frame, it did little to hide the soft womanly curves beneath the elegant fabric.  

"I come from about five hundred years in the future."  Kagome replied, suddenly feeling quite comfortable with the Wicca miko.

"It must be a different world than this one."  Aile Anna looked away from the small group of travelers, her face encased in the shadows.  She did not want these new acquaintances to see the sorrow she felt reflected in her eyes.  "Yukori?" She suddenly called for her friend, as she remembered why she had journeyed to this strange land.

"Sit, eat."  Were the kitsune hanyou's only reply as she handed her friend a bowl of venison stew.  

Sitting down in front of the fire, Aile Anna looked around her, the intensity of her gaze seeming to bore into each individual's soul as she looked at them.  A small smile curved her lips as she finally rested on the kitsune child sitting in the young miko's lap.  "Destiny has once again been kind to me.  A group of warriors who have won many battles and defeated a great evil once before, your hearts pure, though," Glancing quickly at the houshi, "though maybe not all pure of mind.  I could use your help, as you could use mine." 

Yukori looked at her friend questioningly.  As Aile Anna's serious gaze darkened with emotion, the kitsune's eyes widened in sudden understanding.  "I thought he was sealed!"  She exclaimed, rising to her feet.  "How could he break free of your seal, Aile Anna!" Her voice was rife with anguish. For three years the kitsune hanyou had lived peacefully in her homeland, content with the knowledge that her twin's death had been avenged.  Understanding the implications of the Wicca girl's words, hatred once again burned within her.

"What are you talking about?" Inu Yasha demanded, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the two women.

"The Dark Lord, the one who killed my brother.  He's free."  Yukori paled at the implications of her words.  "And," turning to Aile Anna for a nod of confirmation, "He's in Japan."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 "Father," Haku-su looked up into her sire's darkened features.  His black eyes smiled wickedly down at her though his face showed no emotions.

"Yes, my daughter?" The cold tone of his voice sent shivers of delight down her spine.

"Will this be my new home?" She questioned The Dark Lord as her eyes swept over the inner walls of the castle.  The hollowed bodies of the walking dead milled silently about, acting as the lord's servants.  Though their actions seemed fluid and life like, the depths of their hazy black eyes betrayed them for the corpses they truly were.

"For now, Haku-su.  Until I tire of this land.  The people are mere simpletons, so easy to control.  This will be my first conquest, my daughter."  His face cracked with a half smile, the sight of which made the girl shudder.  It seemed at odds with her sire's dark visage, causing a sickening feeling to twist within her.  Again she marveled at the sensations her father was able to provoke within her.  The small child readily embraced the evilness, allowing it to seep into her already blackened soul and further taint her impure heart.

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A/N:  Once again, another chapter completed!  For FF.net, this fic has been edited,  you can find the unedited lemon version (there will be lemons in later chapters) at my website, listed on my bio page.

If you want to know more about the characters of Aile Anna and Yukori, just e-mail me and I will be glad to tell you all about them!

Please **REVIEW**, it truly does encourage the next chapter!  

Word Index:  

_mo caraid_: old Gaelic for "my friend"

Nihongo: Japanese language

Iie: no

Gaijin: Foreigner

Kijo: ogre

Please do not steal any of my OC's, as they are legally copyrighted to me.


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